Seek Help Early
“We are seeing more and more people coming to services too late. People are trying to keep their heads above water, paying rent, feeding the kids, repaying debts, and all the while the cost of living is sky rocketing. They come to us when they are really struggling to pay their bills and are already in housing and financial crisis,” Stacie Gauci, Team Leader, Unison Private Rental Access Program (PRAP).
Since February 2022, the Unison PRAP team has received close to 3700 requests for rent brokerage –assisting with either rent arrears or rent in advance to secure a home, and short circuit homelessness. As of May this year, 55% of their applications for support came from people falling behind in their rent.
Stacie and her team have on the ground experience of people doing it really tough. The PRAP program, part of Unison’s homelessness services, and has joined a City of Wyndham initiative, the “Seek Help Early” campaign urging people to get help early if they are finding it hard to pay bills.
Unison is a member of H3 Wyndham, a partnership of health, housing and homelessness services within the municipality, who know all too well the pressing issues facing community members. They collaborated to develop the campaign.
Stacie explains further.
“Increased costs have caught many singles and families out. They have been unable to adjust, or their costs have basically become too great, and they have found themselves in real trouble financially, and at risk of homelessness.”
A recent Unison commissioned RMIT study, Inside the Front Door, looks at data over a seven-year period from six high volume homelessness services including Unison Housing. The study reflects what our homelessness services are experiencing.
The study found there was a rise from 1 in 20 in 2014 to nearly 1 in 10 in 2020 employed people presenting at homelessness services.
The Seek Help Early campaign promotes friendly non-judgmental help is available. Organisations such as Unison can assist people with accessing financial support.
“We assist with accessing bill concessions, hardship support and payment plans. We also refer people to a financial counsellor and the National Debt Hotline,” explains Stacie.
“We can help people secure their housing and get back financial control.”
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Unison’s PRAP relies on collaboration between the State Government, not-for-profit agencies and private real estate agents as part of a long-term vision to reduce homelessness. These strong relationships are vital in ensuring secure and affordable homes for all Victorians.
The PRAP and IAP are funded by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and play a crucial part in a broader preventative housing strategy to reduce chronic housing instability and homelessness.
To find out more about the services Unison provides, including the PRAP and IAP programs, click here.
Inside the Front Door, a first of its kind study, conducted by RMIT and commissioned by the Unison Housing Research Lab, looks at data over seven-year period from six high volume homelessness services – Unison Housing, VincentCare, WAYSS, The Salvation Army, Haven Home Safe and Launch Housing.
The study shows the profound and far-reaching problems of the housing crisis and the intense and growing pressure on homelessness services.
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